50/50-A PERSONAL OPINION

By Stacia

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Last night I saw 50/50. Here is my personal opinion as a graduated YA survivor and someone who works with survivors everyday. HURRAY! We are talking about the fact young adults get cancer and it is nothing they did that caused it.

The hospital scenes were poignant in that the people at the hospital spoke a different language and had different concerns then young adults do. Some people have talked about medical inaccuracies in the movie, I think the bottom line is when you are diagnosed you hear a lot of words and have no idea what they mean or how it will impact you. What does he do, go straight to the internet for answers. I was surprised to hear the doctor mention fertility, but it was the only time it was spoken in the movie.

What was he worried about that was never talked about by anyone in the medical setting? Girlfriends, work, sex and sexual attractiveness, parents, missed opportunities and facing death. What they didn’t talk about were insurance and finances, but you can’t hit everything.

Sure the psychologist crossed the lines, but it is a reminder that we are not trained how to work with people our own age. I wish they would have showed the great supervisors and mentors who are available to talk to, but again it’s a movie.

Well the door has been opened to talk about what is important and changes that need to be made. The great group at LiveStrong Young Adult Alliance, which CBTF is a part of, has been talking about the need for specific treatments, setting and services for young adults and trying to advance the AYA cause for several years. Let’s keep it going!